WATCH: Love and passion for animals inspire Animal Allies volunteer

Norwood resident and a volunteer for Animal Allies, Beata Gianni, said her love and passion for animals and a need to help ease their suffering was what inspired her to wake up every day and make a difference in their lives.

Gianni helps to sterilise feral cats using a method called Trap-Neuter-Release which helps reduce the population of feral cats.

The process involves trapping the cats using a humane cat trap, having them sterilised and their ear clipped, which is necessary for identification so they will not be trapped again. They are then released back to where they came from.

Gianni said she did not get paid for doing this, but her burning desire of wanting to help make a difference in the lives of these creatures was her motivation.

“If something happens on the streets it will be all over the newspapers, but nobody cares about the cat behind the dustbin,” she said.

“When you get older it is very selfish to focus on issues that concern you as an individual only, you have to look at other problems around you and try to help where you can.”

Gianni said making a difference in the lives of the cats, such as finding better homes for them, was the biggest reward for her – better than a monetary one.

She also urged the community to get more involved in helping feral cats, rather than eradicating them. “Everything is here for a reason, if we kill feral cats we will have rats all over, these creatures [cats] are needed.”

Details: Beata Gianni of Animal Allies 060 982 8875.